User Reviews

Largely forgotten now, this movie was viewed by a lot of people in the 1970s. Parents saw it, mainly for Ann Margeret, in movie theaters during its 1st run, older kids caught it, mainly for Joe Namath, during its drive-in run and all us youngsters saw it when it made it's way to TV in the mid-1970s. I remember it fondly.

A product of a by gone era, it's really not as bad as some have made it out to be. Worth it for the novelty of Joe Namath and the 1970s cheese factor alone. Broadway Joe isn't really half bad because he did have tremendous charisma and a screen presence which somewhat compensates for his lack of acting chops. Plus as his adversary, we have quintessential 1970s bad guy, William Smith (the unforgettable Falconetti from Rich Man, Poor Man mini series or bad-ass Jack Wilson in Clint Eastwood's Any Which Way You Can) who turns in a fine performance. Throw in Sid Haig, Crispin Glover's father Bruce (of Diamond's Are Forever fame) and a delightfully campy performance from Teda Bracci and you have a pretty memorable Biker gang.

I wonder if Ann Margret and her husband originally thought of Elvis for the title role because this film is similar to many of his mid-sixties on screen personas (misunderstood rebel woos wary girl, defeats opposition in race at end). Fortunately for Elvis, his career, unlike Miss Margret's at the time, had just been spectacularly reignited with his TV Comeback Special and Vegas headlining. Anyway, Ann always possessed a great screen presence of her own; enough, along with all the outdoor scenery, to keep the viewer interested.

I think if you take this movie for what it is, a mindless artifact of late 1960s/early 1970s culture starring one of that era's biggest icons, you won't regret having spent 90 mins. watching it on a dreary Saturday afternoon.

Although Ann-Margret is gorgeous as always, Joe Namath cannot carry a suitcase, let alone a movie. I loved him as a quarterback, ...BUT, except for his horrendous performance in NORWOOD with Glen Campbell, he just doesn't have it. Thank God, William Smith (fine actor) has plenty of scenes with Joe and Ann-Margret.

A 4 out of 10. Best performance = Mr. Smith. Exchanging furtive glances, Mr. Namath and Ann simply look foolish, although there are great location shots..I believe in the Southwest. Pure exploitation but just not enough fun, skin, plot, or talent. Ann has a great hairstyle though in 1970!

Released in 1970, "C.C. & Company" is a low-budget biker flick starring none other than Joe Namath as C.C. Ryder, a quasi-member of The Heads motorcycle gang. When C.C. hooks up with a pretty fashion designer, played by Ann Margret, it causes friction with the other gang members, particularly Moon, played by William Smith. It all comes down to C.C. and Moon squaring off in a bike race at a high school football field track.

This is a fun biker flick and not as dead serious as 1966's "The Wild Angels" – the first and best biker flick – or 1969's popular "Easy Rider," which was just as good in its own way. "C.C. & Company" also seems to have a lower budget. For instance, there's some noticeably bad acting by Smith and Teda Bracci, the latter who plays biker chick Pig, but – then again – maybe they were intentionally shooting for camp (ya think!). The obvious draw here is Namath's larger-than-life charisma and cutie Margret; it's inexplicable that Namath didn't develop a lasting acting career (maybe that infamous pantyhose commercial did him in, lol). The rockin' late 60's soundtrack is also a treat. The whole cast obviously had fun making the film and it comes off on the screen.

Besides Margret, the movie features a couple other standout women, like Jennifer Billingsley as Pom Pom and Jacquie Rohr as Zit Zit. Billingsley is rather tall with model-like beauty, albeit hidden behind her wild biker chick garb, while Rohr is petite and curvy. The latter could've easily stolen the show if she had more screen time.

While worthwhile just for the two stars and amusing as light biker fare, "C.C. & Company" is unable to overcome its limitations, which explains my mediocre rating. Nevertheless, if you appreciate the biker genre that ran from 1966-1974 "C.C. & Company" is mandatory viewing, sort of.

The film runs 83 minutes and was shot in Tucson, Arizona, and Las Vegas.

GRADE: C

While Joe Namath was likeable in his role, William Smith, who made a living mostly playing "bad guys" in many B pictures, gave the best performance in this movie. Smith looked like a biker, unlike Namath. He was nasty, grizzled, and mean. Just what you would expect from a "Hells Angel." With an R rating it would have been nice to see a little more skin (especially on a young Ann Margret) but the movie is worth seeing anyway.

Attempting to parlay athletic success into movie stardom is fairly common. Namath is likeable, but his acting talent was nil. I saw this when it came out theatrically, and I also remember William Smith being a very nasty bad guy, and Ann Margaret's nude sex scene with Namath.

For the most part, "C.C. and Company" is your average biker flick, with cool dude C.C. Ryder (Joe Namath) joining up with a motorcycle gang but turning against them after they try to attack socialite Ann McCalley (Ann-Margret). Ann-Margret of course has her looks, but it seems like the movie might have come out slightly better if someone else had played C.C.; as far as I know, Joe Namath is a good guy, but there have been too many times when athletes tried to become actors and...well, just look at Shaquille O'Neal's movies.

Anyway, this is mainly the sort of movie that you watch to see Ann-Margret. No matter what happens, she'll always be really hot.

If you see this film today, it probably will make you wonder if everyone associated with the film was crazy. Well, I would say that they were crazy brilliant, as in the late 60s and early 70s, cheap, crappy and practically plot less biker films made a fortune. After all, the films were mostly filled with a lot of non-actors--mostly hippies and biker types the studios found driving the highways out west. Add to that no real need to pay for interesting scripts (apart from "Easy Rider" which really is NOT a biker film...or at least a biker gang film)...and you have a recipe for success. That is why films like "Satan's Sadists", "Werewolves on Wheels" and "C.C. and Company were made...because these ridiculous films made money.

When the film begins, you are introduced to C.C. (Joe Namath). He steals food and bikes but he's the 'nice' biker gang member...which you soon see when a couple of his fellow club members try to rape a woman (Ann-Margret). But C.C. is a nice...and stops them. From then on, things are sour between him and the head of the gang (William Smith--who also produced and wrote the film). Even when C.C. wins some bike races and should become a hero, the gang treats him badly and in the dead of night he splits. Is this the end of the gang and C.C.? What do you think?

The actual plot of this film really only becomes evident late in the film (about the last 20 minutes) and other than that it's mostly women taking off their clothes and bikers riding about and Namath wooing Ann-Margret. Not a horrible movie (at least you get to see her naked) and the music is simply amazing! But it's also a silly and inconsequential little curio that will make folks say "who's that Joe Namath guy?".

In only his second feature as an actor, NY Jets quarterback Joe Namath had already developed an easy screen presence with a combination of aw-shucks smiles and mild, almost polite line-readings--which, ultimately, causes him to seem out of place here as a member of a motorcycle gang who make their home in the Arizona desert. After rescuing fashion magazine journalist Ann-Margret from being molested by two of his mangy compadres, Namath gets on the wrong side of psychotic gang leader William Smith (strutting around like a prize rooster). But Namath is too decent and well-mannered to be involved with these goons in the first place. He isn't above making love in the dirt with one of the broads from the gang--and, in the amusing opening sequence, he helps himself to a sandwich in the aisles of a supermarket--but "bad company" Namath is not. Tacky, noisy wheeler wants to please its core audience, which is to say it wants to be all things to degenerates of all types. Written and co-produced by Ann-Margret's husband-manager, Roger Smith, the movie was intended to show off the star to a new generation after a period of decline but, miscast or not, it's Namath's picture. He's a good guy even when he's hanging out with the bad guys. *1/2 from ****

Really hate to see a fine actor like Ann Margaret in detritus like this. Just about perfect for Namath and Smith, though. Give it a D plus.

C.C. Ryder (Joe Namath), a motorcycle mechanic, is a somewhat reluctant member of an outlaw biker gang known as The Head. By accident, he meets a fashion photographer, Ann McCalley (Ann-Margret), and saves her from the other members of his gang. C.C. falls for Ann, but realizes he'll have to leave the gang if he is to win her over. C.C. enters and wins a dirt bike race, giving him the funds he needs to strike out on his own and pursue Ann. But gang leader Moon (William Smith) doesn't see it that way. He wants C.C.'s money for his own and goes after Ann to prove his point. C.C. will have to defeat Moon if he is to be free of The Head.

Given its relatively poor online reputation, I'm as shocked as anyone by how much I enjoyed C.C. and Company. The movie just clicked with me and worked quite nicely. Director Seymour Robbie may have been mainly a television director, but I felt he handled this transition to film very professionally. C.C. and Company is well-paced with plenty of sight gags and fight scenes that work as intended. For example, the scene where C.C. steals the dirt bike is really cleverly handled. The shot of him towing the dirt bike behind his chopper was a real kick. As for fight scenes, the fight between C.C. and Moon in the creek is really well choreographed and filmed. It's a solid action piece. Robbie also manages to throw in some menacing set-pieces, none more so than the kidnap of Ann. Again, nicely done.

The acting in C.C. and Company is also a highlight. I wasn't expecting much from Namath, but he gives a reasonably competent performance. In a lot of scenes he's not asked to do much more than sit on his bike and smile, but when challenged, he's more than capable. Ann-Margret is Ann-Margret and gives the performance you expect. The chemistry she had with Namath seemed natural and easy. The real star for me, however, is William Smith. He plays Moon as a hulking, menacing presence capable of snapping at a moment's notice. He's always struck me as a wonderful actor and, here, he really gets a chance to shine.

As I said near the start of this, I enjoyed C.C. and Company more than most. I was entertained throughout and that's all I ask of a film. A solid 7/10 from me.

Joe Namath is an outlying member of a biker gang run by William Smith. He hooks up with fashion photographer Ann-Margaret, who feeds him lines so he can talk about vague, 1960s-style 'finding yourself' stuff. Eventually, the gang kidnaps Ann-Margaret and Namath must race Smith to rescue her.

The sole good point is a decent soundtrack. Seymour Robbie directs with no energy or pacing, Ann-Margaret seems invested in her underwritten character -- probably because she was married to the film's writer -- Smith overacts and Namath can't act nor ride motorcycle convincingly; I've never seen anyone lounge on a moving motorcycle, but Namath lounges on his bike in the shots obviously done on a stationary Honda against a back-projected road; I guess it was cheaper than doing a moving shot and having Broadway Joe fall off.

Its starring Joe Namath, for God sakes. Don't expect it to be Citizen Kane. However, if your taste in movies is tasteless, this film wont let you down.

Its got everything you want in a trash movie; REALLY bad acting, exploitation of naked actresses, fighting, motorcycle chases, bad camera work, etc...

Among the highlights: 1) the only big screen film appearance of Wayne Cochran and the CC riders. He was known as the white James Brown and his cover version of Otis Redding's "Can't Turn Me Loose" in this film shows you why. 2) An Ann Margaret nude scene, in the middle of her prime MEEEEEOOOWWWWW! 3) Probably William Smith's best movie performance in a career that has spanned over 60 years. 4) The soundtrack is one of the best unsung biker movie soundtracks. Lots of funky fuzz guitar, as well as Wayne Cochran and the title track by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.

Joe Namath's performance is one of the worst in film history for a big studio, mainstream release. Its spectacularly awful. In an entertaining and charming way, it truly sucks.

Watch it for ironic content, not for a truly great film, and you will enjoy it. Its so bad that its a masterpiece.

"C.C. Ryder" (Joe Namath) is a motorcycle mechanic who has recently joined a motorcycle gang that calls themselves "The Heads". He is both wild and confident and this makes the leader of the gang named "Moon" (William Smith) a bit insecure. As a result, when C.C. saves a rich and attractive woman named "Ann McCalley" (Ann-Margret) from being raped by two members of the gang it causes tension within the group that Moon doesn't quite know how to address. Even worse is the fact that Moon's girlfriend "Pom-Pom" (Jennifer Billingsley) seems to be attracted to C.C. as well. And as his popularity increases Moon becomes more and more unsettled. Now, as far as the movie is concerned it's possible that some people, who weren't around when this movie came out, are missing the appeal it had to those of us who were. Essentially, Joe Namath was an extremely popular personality during this time and his fame increased exponentially after he boldly guaranteed that his underdog New York Jets would beat the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl. Unlike so many athletes today he proved true to his word. So his decision to star alongside the beautiful Ann-Margret seemed rather sensational at the time. And even though this is clearly a grade-B movie he doesn't do too badly here. At least, I don't think so. Be that as it may, I should probably warn viewers that there are several different copies of this movie out there (for various reasons) and I strongly recommend the original 94-minute version--if for no other reason than the fact that it flows much more smoothly. Again, while I don't consider this to be a "great" movie by any means I still found it quite enjoyable and for that reason I rate it as slightly above average.

C.C. Ryder (Joe Namath) is the newest member of the biker gang, The Heads. Gang leader Moon is not that happy with him. A few of them encounter Ann McCalley (Ann-Margret) whose car has broken down on the side of the road. They all end up in a motor-X race event which she's using as a backdrop for her fashion shoot.

I didn't know that Namath tried acting other than a few cameos. He's a functional actor with lots of charisma. He has a big grin and an embracing charm. This is a biker B-movie but it has some fun with it. I wouldn't say that it's any good. There is some fun action and a couple of dangerous stunts. It also has two 70's icons rolling around. That's worth something.

This is one of the best Biker-Movies ever. It has it all: heavy bikers, great action, good music, humor and a lot of sexy girls. Ann Margret and Jennifer Billingsley look really wonderful in their outfits. I think this was Joe Namaths film debut but the brilliant William Smith as Gangleader Moon steals everybody in the show. If you are a fan of those kind of movies, don't miss it!

Joe threw the biggest bomb of his career and unfortunately it was intercepted by the viewers. This wasn't the stupidest film I've ever seen, but close. It wasn't the poorest performed, but mighty close. It was awfully close to being the most boring experience of my movie career; even Ann M. couldn't help in that area. Smooth Joe just didn't come off as an Hell's Angel type, he's just to nice looking. And that sandwich building crap at the beginning...what amateurism. Get half drunk with some buddies and maybe this stumpwater will be palatable. Maybe.

Joe slaps a lotta cheese onto the sandwich he builds in the opening scene, a sign of things to come, as movies don't get much cheesier than this one.

I get a kick out of trashy biker movies, but it was hard to stay awake through this snoozer. Nice scenery and good songs, though. If not for them, I'd have rated it a "0".

From start-to-finish, this movie is a stinker. Bad acting, lousy script and terrible production values. I can see Joe Namath doing it but it's hard to believe that an accomplished actress like Ann-Margaret agreed to appear in this loser. That being said, I just located and purchased this hard-to-find flick at the aptly-named Cheesy Movies.com. Why? Because it is the only movie that blue-eyed soul man Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders ever appeared in. If there are any Cochran fans reading this, grab this movie and catch Wayne and his boys doing a full-length version of "I Can't Turn You Loose". Wayne Cochran recordings are very hard to come by, let alone a cinematic appearance. It was worth the $4.98 I paid for it.

Having been raised in Tucson, Arizona in the 60s and 70s it was neat to get a peek at my hometown and the way it used to look. But that's the only reason I was willing to endure one of the worst movies I've ever sat through. There are glimpses of Mount Lemmon from the back (probably shot in the Oracle area). Sabino Canyon is in quite a few scenes and it looks like some of it was filmed out on Houghton Road. The only reason I didn't rate it a "1" is because I was entertained by Tucson's old scenery. It's a good thing Namath could throw a football, or he'd have been holding a spatula somewhere. God, this was bad. And it has nothing to do with it being dated. This was horrid, even by 1970's standards.

As producers, Allen Carr and Roger Smith didn't know how to make movies but they did know how to market them. "C.C. and Company" (1970) was one of Smith's attempts to revive the acting and singing career of his wife Ann-Margret, whose American career had pretty much dried up in the mid-60's. So they looked around for a way to package the aging star in a vehicle they could profitably distribute.

They decided to capitalize of the huge popularity of the super bowl champion N.Y. Jets quarterback Broadway Joe Namath. If you were not around in 1969 you will have a hard time grasping the extent of Joe's popularity. At its peak he was probably the most popular sports figure of all time and he single-handedly transformed NFL viewing from a men's club to a mixed gender group. In "C.C. and Company" Joe doesn't act so much as just play his relaxed good- natured self in front of the camera. The film begins with its best sequence as Joe, playing an outlaw motorcycle club member named C. C. Ryder, is shown walking around inside a supermarket while casually assembling a sandwich from the various products on the shelves. After he eats the sandwich he helps himself to a Twinkie and a small carton of milk. Then he hits the checkout line with just a package of "Fruit Stripe" gum to pay for and exits the store. This might be film's only attempt at symbolism as the gas tank and rear fender of Joe's chopper are painted a zebra stripe pattern. Baby boomers may recall that "Fruit Stripe" gum commercials featured a zebra.

Carr and Smith (Smith also wrote the screenplay) chose to make an independent outlaw motorcycle picture, a sub-genre dominated by American International. While AI's films were normally distributed to drive-ins, Carr and Smith hoped to exploit the recent unexpected success of "Easy Rider"- a motorcycle movie that had played well in mainstream theaters. And this is just what they did with "C.C. and Company", using Avco Embassy to book the film into first-run theaters and into giving it extensive promotion. It would not play to drive-in audiences until 1971.

Joe delivers a lot of charm, some credible action sequences, and a scene where he actually exhibits some acting skill (or at least an awareness of the acting craft). This scene occurs early in the film when his club disrupts a moto-cross race. Joe is sitting on his bike watching the fun when he spots Ann looking on in shock. Joe wordlessly conveys a sudden embarrassment over the actions of his associates. The scene works, in part because of good editing, but also because Namath obviously understands the process.

The film was not a success for Ann-Margaret even though she gets to ride a mini-bike in one scene and sing a song ("Today" by Lenny Stack). She was a bit too old to keep playing the innocent girl who is also a sex kitten role, up till then her standard character. Without this to fall back on she seems lost trying to appear more sophisticated. In the looks-sexy department she is totally upstaged by biker chick Pom Pom-Jennifer Billingsley who I remember as the Driving Range attendant on an episode of "Ozzie and Harriet".

Upstaging everybody is William Smith (who played Texas Ranger Joe on the "Laredo" television show) as "Heads" leader Moon. Flexing his muscles, thanks to a sleeveless denim jacket, Smith pretty much steals the whole film. The seemingly virile Moon is a disappointment in the sack, which sets up a little action between Namath and Billingsley. The big fight between Smith and Namath is nicely staged but is really sold by frequent cut-away shots to the increasingly turned-on Pom Pom.

Also notable is Sid Haig who rides a traffic cop trike and wears a Mongol helmet. Lizard, the other trike rider, is "Mary Hartman's" Greg Mullavy, whose machine sports a toilet seat and the title "The Heads Head".

Largely forgotten now, at the time of its release "C.C. and Company" was a cultural icon. It was probably the most quoted 1970 film in schools and workplaces. The most immortal line being Moon's convoluted declaration to C.C. that: "We got the club here see and you are way over there". And just about everything that straight-arrow moto-cross racer Eddie Ellis (Don Chastain) said was an instant classic. "That's what gives motorcycling a bad name" and "You talking to me" (he said the line before Robert De Niro!).

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

As far as low budget biker films go, "C.C. and Company" definitely makes enjoyable viewing for a number of reasons. Of course, the main reason is Joe Namath, who fumbles (bad pun), stumbles and basically sleep walks (I guess he simply cannot act) through this abomination of the "so bad it's good" variety. Watching Joe in this film now is rather funny, because you wonder what he was thinking in even signing to do this movie, hoping to have some sort of film career.

Of course there is also Ann-Margaret, who is very good looking, but she isn't much in the acting department either. Actually it's safe to say that the two big names in this flick are the film's worst actors, and you can almost fall asleep in the scenes where it's just Joe and Ann. Everyone else, dare I say, seems to be having a lot more fun making this movie, especially the leader of The Heads, Joe's biker gang. He's the most fun to watch, especially when he's mad at 'ol Joe for not giving all his money into the biker "pot."

There's some good bike action, especially the final showdown between Joe and the Heads' leader on a track. Tons of cheesy scenes abound, but it's all a lot of fun. It's funny how in almost all these old biker films, many of the bikers are of the "goofy" type, and do things like carry each other in their arms. Even the big chair the leader gets to sit in looks funny. Many of the biker girls are pretty, especially when they go out on the road to "earn" some cash for the gang's money pot.

It was especially good to see this film in it's original "R" rated uncut form, after a bunch of times watching as a kid on TV in the 70's.

I found "C.C. and Company" on a DVD with two other 1971 biker flicks, "Evel Knievel" and "Angels Hard As They Come" (Gary Busey's first flick) for less than ten dollars, talk about a great bargain! The DVD was called "Classic Biker Movies" and is a definitely great deal. Even the quality was pretty decent.

I wonder how 'ol Joe feels about this flick now. No doubt he'd probably be up for a sequel!

Classic stinker, which attempted to make a star out of N. Y. Jets quarterback Joe Namath. The attempt fell incomplete.

Joe plays C. C., a motorcycle-ridin' mechanic who belongs to "The Heads." When you see the rest of "The Heads," you'll wonder why they were not named after some other body part. As the film opens, Joe is eating his way through a supermarket, yet still manages to collect S & H Green Stamps. (Hey don't knock those stamps - I still have a pool table I got with those things.) He then rides off as the opening credits roll; those credits should have been enough to make the audience flee from the theaters. Joe hooks up with his two of his buds, played by Greg Mullavey and Sid Haig. Mullavey has a toilet paper dispenser on his bike, which proves the old adage, "money talks, you-know-what rides a motorcycle." Haig wears a Genghis Khan helmet. Mullavey and Haig have a combined IQ (idiot quotient) of -1. The three eventually come across a stranded car. Lo and behold, Ann-Margret is in the back seat. While Joe tries to revive her engine, Mullavey and Haig try to tune her up. Haig takes off his helmet, because he says Ann would prefer the "Yul Brynner look." Joe intercedes, and the two morons ride off.

After a little flirting with Ann, Joe rides back to Heads Headquarters. There, muscle-bound William Smith, as the Head of The Heads, questions Joe's motives. Smith spends most of the movie yelling, so whoever had the Sucrets concession probably raked it in. Other Heads include the ape-like Bruce Glover, who has almost no lines, and Joe's N. Y. Jets teammate Mike Battle, who has a few too many. At times, Battle's antics suggest he is channeling Donald O'Connor's dancing from "Singin' In the Rain." Anyway, Smith sends his "hos" out on the road to get some money. One look at these dames and you wonder how they could earn a nickel. Poor Jennifer Billingsley spends most of the film being tossed between Joe and Smith, and having her clothes pulled off. Not even this excited me.

The Heads crash a motocross event, which, coincidentally, Ann-Margret is attending. Joe gets the brilliant idea of entering in a race (this, after he steals a Kawasaki), so we have to be subjected to him trying to one-up Don Chastain, who is wearing a lime-green outfit (if you recognize any of these people, you might enjoy this movie slightly). Joe manages to win some dough, but Smith takes it because it belongs to The Heads. Now we have a plot.

At this point, you are probably wondering how long it is going to take for Ann to sack Joe. Answer: about an hour into the film. We then get a montage of hand-holding, driving in a golf cart, etc., while Ann sings the background music. By this time, Joe has taken back the money (he had to swipe it from Billingsley during a make-out session - not even this excited me). So Smith et al put the bag on Ann, and tell Joe he has to come up with twice the amount to get her back. Joe makes a counteroffer, daring Smith to race him one-on-one, winner take all. Guess who wins.

Joe could have played a more likable character, but he is only slightly less repulsive than the rest of The Heads. He has to deliver some inane dialogue, and obscenities to boot. His massive misshapen hair and sideburns don't help either, nor does his perpetual slouching and horrifyingly bad wardrobe. Smith is good as the leader, and is my favorite bad-arse of all time, but his role consists mostly of ranting and kicking butt. Come to think of it, that is a typical performance, and why I like the guy so much. I will give him credit, too, for having the best hair in the film, along with the best pair of guns. Ann-Margret is cute as ever, but there is no way she would ever hook up with a biker who hangs around with the dregs of society. As for the other women in the cast, the less said, the better.

There have been a few football stars who have eked out decent film careers; Woody Strode and Carl Weathers come to mind. Heck, even Jim Brown and Fred "The Hammer" Williamson did alright. But the list of misfires includes Namath, Terry Bradshaw, Dick Butkus, and O. J. Simpson - although in fairness to Simpson, he saved his best performance for the courtroom.

On the other hand, it's probably a good thing that the Jets beat the Colts in the 1969 Super Bowl. Otherwise, this film might have starred Bubba Smith on a Harley.